From R.W.G. Vail "Dr. Myron and Mary
Hoit Orton: Their Ancestors and Descendants", 1966
Hemenway says: "According to tradition, carefully transmitted, there was in
London at the time of the Great Plague (1664/5), a family by the name of Hard. All perished but James, a lad of 14 years of age, who was by the public authorities apprenticed to the celebrated Captain
Kidd, whom he served in various capacities foir seven years. (This was before
Kidd became a pirate). Being then free, James Hard came to
Stratford,
Conn., then to
Newtown, where he married a woman by the name of [Elizabeth
Tomlinson] and died at the age of 107 years.
It is evident, however, from the published town records of
Derby, CT, that James Hard was in tht town 1694 or earlier, where he married Elizabeth
Tomlinson, daughter of William and
Abigail Tomlinson. William
Tomlinson was accepted at
Derby in December, 1677, where he was selectman for several years from 1678, and where he died Dec. 9, 1711. He was traditionally, the nephew of Henry
Tomlinson of
Stratford and the son of Robert
Tomlinson of
Milford, whose wife transferred her church letter from
Milford to
Stratford in 1648.
According to Commemorative Biographical Record of
New Haven County, James Hard settled in
Derby about 1680 and married Elizabeth
Tomlinson in 1693. Since the Great Plague took place in 1664-5 when James was 14, he must have been born about 1650., arrived in
America about 1671 (when his seven years apprenticeship was completed at the age of 21) and died about 1757, if he were really 107 years old when he died. It is, perhaps, as good a guess as any that, having just completed his apprenticeship when he came to
America, he had no money and was forced to become a "redemptioner" or indentured servant for a further seven years in order to raise the money to pay his passage, as was usual in those days. This would free him about 1678, at which time he may have arrived at
Derby along with William
Tomlinson, his future father-in-law. His having been a pauper apprntice and indentured servant is borne out by the fact that he is never given the title "
Gentleman" or even "
Yeoman" in the
Derby public records and that his name always appears lastor nearly last in any petition or public document, and that he held no higher office in the town than Fence Viewer or Pound
Keeper. This characterization of him is further supported by the fact that he could not write but was forced to sign legal documents with his mark. He was however an industrious man of good standing and was fortunate in having married the daughter of one of the leading menof the community. He moved to
Newtown,
Conn. where his situation was markedly improved, for he chosen as selectman in 1713, was on the committee to build the meeting house, and was one of five men granted permission to build a sawmill. In 1724 he declared himdself to be of "another pesuasion" [i.e., Church of
England not Congregational].
